The harmonic treatment of Chinese music in the twentieth-century

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Abstract

This thesis is divided into three chapters: Historical Background, Chinese Theory, Analysis of Musical Examples, and Conclusion, The first chapter talks of the historical background since the beginning of the twentieth century—the recognition that the Chinese intellectuals had and the effort they had made; the three mediums— Christian missionaries, western military bands, and the new school system—which introduced Western music to China; the milestones of modern Chinese music—the establishments of the Music Club in Peking University in 1919 and the founding of the National Conservatory of Music in Shanghai in 1927; and two important musicians, Hsiao Yu-mei and Huang Tze, who took influential roles in the history of modern Chinese music. Some explanations of Chinese theory have been made in the second chapter. And these statements are mainly according the two books, Chinese' Modes and Harmony by Li Ying-hai and Pentatonic Scales and Harmony by Wang Chen-ya. Except the explanations of Chinese theory, I also mentioned some techniques that can help Chinese composers in their approach to writing music. The last chapter is the main emphasis of my thesis. I had analyzed nine musical compositions by Chinese contemporary composers according to the composing chronology. From these analyses, we can find the development of Chinese harmony and the tendency that the composers try to approach. And finally, those composers can have their own directions in writing their music.